Jarivs Landry was one of several productive rookie WRs in 2014

There’s no denying that rookie wideouts had a huge impact on fantasy last season, so much in fact that 2014 was dubbed “Year of the rookie WR.”  The NFL draft class was loaded with talent at the position and the ridiculous amounts of hype that swirled during training camp and the preseason led many fantasy enthusiasts to select the likes of Sammy Watkins, Brandin Cooks and Kelvin Benjamin earlier than expected in drafts. But by the end of the season guys who were overlooked in August like Odell Beckham Jr. and Martavis Bryant were the players who really propelled owners to fantasy glory.

With a season of experience already under their collective belts many of these second-year receivers have room to grow 2015. On the other hand, some of them might not live up to expectations as we saw with Cordarrelle Patterson who basically fell off the face of the earth in terms of fantasy relevance during his second year in the NFL. Another great example is Keenan Allen who broke out in as a rookie in 2013 but took a step back last season.

It’d be pointless to discuss the obvious stud candidates like ODB, Benjamin, Jordan Matthews or Mike Evans, all of whom fantasy owners will be drooling over come draft season and for good reason. Instead, let’s take a look at some second-year wideouts who might be on the board in later rounds as they come with a few question marks but could potentially provide excellent sleeper value.

Jarvis Landry – Miami Dolphins

In his rookie season Landry was one of only three NFL wideouts to catch at least 80 percent of the targets thrown his way: he hauled in 84 of his 105 targets according to ProFootballFocus. Only one other rookie WR caught more receptions than Miami’s talented second-round pick last season—Landry’s former LSU teammate, Odell Beckham Jr.

Landry also racked up 758 yards and five touchdowns in 2014 so with the departure of Mike Wallace from Miami this offseason, Landry is poised to play an even bigger role in the Phins’ passing game out of the gate in 2015.

He built a strong rapport with QB Ryan Tannehill last year and Miami completely revamped its receiving corps this offseason by adding third year deep-threat Kenny Stills, veteran Greg Jennings and tight end Jordan Cameron—all moves that bode well for Landry’s fantasy value going forward.

Plus, he’s been working on his one-handed catching skills which always helps.

John Brown – Arizona Cardinals

As a rookie, Brown put himself on the fantasy radar with five touchdowns (three more than veteran teammate Larry Fitzgerald) and 696 receiving yards. The biggest issue with Brown last year was his consistency. He put up some double-digit fantasy games in standard scoring leagues but they were few and far between due to the quarterback situation in Arizona and the fact that he was the third option behind Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd.

The third-rounder still proved that he has big play ability in his first season torching the Eagles’ secondary on a 75-yard touchdown bomb in Week 8 and notching another scintillating 48-yard scoring play in Week 10 against the Rams.

Brown is reportedly adding some pounds to his 5-foot-10 frame this offseason in order to improve his ability to withstand press coverage and physically endure a full NFL season. The second-year pro admitted that his body wore down at the end of last year which showed in his declined stats. If he can retain his explosive speed with the added weight Brown will be a sneaky play in fantasy leagues in 2015, especially if he improves upon his five touchdown and nearly 700-yard rookie campaign.

Davante Adams – Green Bay Packers

Let’s get one thing straight—any wide receiver on the Packers is fantasy relevant as long as Aaron Rodgers is slinging the rock. Even Adams, the third option in Green Bay’s receiving corps, had enough of an impact in his rookie season that he should not be overlooked come 2015 fantasy drafts.

In a Week 13 matchup against New England, Green Bay’s stud WRs Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb were, by their standards, smothered by the Pats’ talented secondary. So Rodgers was forced to look Adams’ way more than usual. The rookie hauled in six catches on 10 targets for 121 yards and played a pivotal role in the Packers’ win over the Patriots. Then in the Divisional Playoff round against Dallas, Adams was the most targeted Green Bay wideout in the game. He snatched seven of his 11 targets for 117 yards and scored a vital touchdown late in the third quarter. Needless to say, Adams’ trust was earned by arguably the best QB in the league.

The 22-year-old Adams represents an ideal under-the-radar wideout to target later in drafts since his overall regular season numbers don’t stand out (38 catches, 446 yards, 3 TDs) among last year’s rookie class. And if Nelson or Cobb should miss playing time for any reason, Adams’ value would catapult to potentially elite levels.

Cody Latimer – Denver Broncos

The departure of Wes Welker and Julius Thomas from Denver this offseason opens the door for a third pass-catching option behind Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders and second-year wideout Cody Latimer is about to walk right through it. Unfortunately the second-round pick didn’t have much to show for his rookie campaign finishing with a mere two catches for 23 yards. But he did show off some of what he is capable of in the preseason with big plays like this short catch that he turned into a 57-yard gain and this deep TD pass from Brock Osweiler.

Latimer recently admitted that he struggled to grasp the Broncos’ playbook in his rookie season. But in 2015, he’s expected to make major progress both by his coaches and teammates like fellow WR Sanders who has talked up the young wideout this spring. If Latimer can earn Peyton Manning’s trust there should be more than enough to go around throughout the season even though Thomas and Sanders remain the go-to guys. Owners who draft either one of them would be wise to pickup Latimer in later rounds as a handcuff stash.

Still, it remains to be seen just how big of a “jump” Latimer will make this season—point being, don’t get too caught up in the hype just yet.

De’Anthony Thomas – KC Chiefs

In 2014 the Chiefs didn’t have a single WR score a receiving touchdown the entire season so I understand if it seems like crazy talk when fantasy wideouts and the Chiefs are discussed in the same article.

Just bear with me for a bit.

The team is determined to improve last year’s sluggish offense. But who will they turn to? We all know that tight end Travis Kelce and big free agency WR signing Jeremy Maclin are going to be key players in KC’s aerial attack next season but there needs to be a few more pieces to this puzzle.

Try second-year speedster De’Anthony Thomas who racked up over 1,000 all-purpose yards in his rookie season. Thomas was drafted in 2014 as a running back but did most of his damage returning kicks and as a pass-catcher in zone-read packages. The Chiefs certainly found assorted ways to take advantage of Thomas’ otherworldly athletic talents last season since his 5-foot-8, 176 lbs build doesn’t scream “durable NFL running back” and Jamaal Charles is obviously Kansas City’s workhorse.

Thomas has been working hard during the offseason at becoming a more complete WR, a position that better suits his capabilities. He cited 2014’s top fantasy wideout Antonio Brown as someone he’d like to emulate as he develops as an NFL player. With ample room to grow in the Chiefs’ receiving corps, Thomas could make for an excellent deep-sleeper pickup in 2015 drafts.

Matt Franciscovich is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Matt, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @m_franciscovich.